Production Process - Interview #3
An important element of this production process has been looking for people to give balance to the piece. After speaking to Jack Pitt-Brooke, it is clear that he poses an argument that suggests the future of grassroots football is in peril.
This may be an unfair assumption, and it is the topic that the documentary is addressing, whether the future of grassroots football is looking promising in this country or not.
In order to address this, I have looked to speak to an individual from the English FA, due to the fact that they are likely to be immersed in grassroots football, and they are likely to give a more positive perspective of it.
It has been a challenging task, with many FA representatives being unwilling to discuss the issue, and I felt that in order to give the piece balance, I would require a statement from the FA, which is not ideal due to the fact that an individual asserting arguments and making points is better for a dialogue based radio documentary, and allows for certain points that are raised by Jack Pitt-Brooke to be addressed.
However, recently I have been able to get in contact with Jon Nurse, a football development officer for the Surrey FA. Jon has a good playing career, scoring at Wembley in the League two play off final for Dagenham & Redbridge FC, and has also played in non league for teams such as Sutton United.
As an individual who has not only played at grassroots level, but is currently working with the FA to help support it, I felt Jon was ideal to speak to for the topic.
Speaking to Jon, he gave means for optimism with grassroots football in the country, citing figures and trends that suggest that it is becoming more popular for youngsters despite the reduction in readily available pitches across the country.
The interview was completed via a phone call recording, however arrangements have been made to meet up with Jon in the near future in person as he has invited me along to visit the Surrey FA and a team he is currently working for, Metropolitan Police FC.
I feel this is a good opportunity to not only gain more of an insight into grassroots football in the UK, but also a goof way of speaking to more people who are involved in grassroots football. I will be sure to bring a recording device if certain individuals are willing to talk on the topic, as more perspectives on how grassroots football affects the everyday lives of many are ideal for this piece, which looks to bring that point home.
